ND Student Rides into a Promising Future

Second-year naturopathic medicine student Jena Peterson is actively fighting the battle of keeping balance in her life. "The challenge," she says, "is finding a way to have it all: studying and learning, a relationship with my husband and a life outside of school." And, so far, she's winning. "It is possible to do," she says. "Absolutely."

This victory is particularly sweet since the 30-year-old Tucson native felt her self-confidence slipping her first days at Bastyr. "It's just that I was facing something so big. I'm the first in my family to go for an advanced degree, this was my first move away from Tucson, and I was facing medical school." But with the support and understanding of Bastyr's staff and faculty, Jena rallied; and, with renewed determination, she forged ahead.

Jena hasn't looked back since. Indeed, she's thrived at Bastyr. Jena always knew she wanted to be in some area of health care. Her mother is a nurse. Jena is fascinated by the body and healing and, she admits with a laugh, as a kid she played doctor. So she chose an undergraduate program that would enable her to pursue a broad range of health care careers. She majored in psychology with a minor in molecular biology and nutrition. She didn't realize it at the time, but she was laying the groundwork for a naturopathic medicine career.

Jena clearly remembers the circumstances that led to her decision to become a naturopathic physician. Like many teenagers, she'd suffered through periods of depression. The depression continued into her 20s, however, and persisted despite many different doctors and therapies. Then a friend recommended she see a naturopathic doctor. "After just nine months with the naturopathic doctor, my symptoms went away. I was so thrilled. If I could help others in this way, I knew this was what I wanted to do."

Jena ended up assisting her physician as a volunteer at an AIDS clinic and loving it. When she learned her doctor was a Bastyr graduate, she concluded Bastyr was most likely the place for her. She considered other schools as well, but Bastyr kept rising to the top of her list. She especially liked the reputation of Bastyr's science lab and the fact that students perform their own dissections. After several visits, she fell in love with the area. "Of course," she adds, "it was summertime." Yet,despite the major climatic change from her Tucson, Arizona, home, Jena has adjusted well to Western Washington. "Seattle is a progressive bubble of culture supporting alternative medicine. The city atmosphere is laid back and friendly."

There's much Jena likes about Bastyr. "The basic science faculty members are especially excellent. The support staff is amazing--wonderfully helpful. And, of course, we're surrounded by nature."

Jena takes full advantage of the Pacific Northwest environment by bicycling to Bastyr along the scenic Burke-Gilman Trail. In fact, thanks to her school commute, bicycling has become a new and favorite hobby. She belongs to a women's bicycling group, and last summer she cemented her "serious biker" status by bicycling 111 miles in the hot Arizona sun to raise funds for the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society.

All this exercise helps keep her mind alert for the challenges of medical school. "Some may think that because this is a non-traditional medical school, the courses are going to be all easy and touchy-feely, like 'so how do you feel about that carotid artery?' Not so," she laughs. "It's very demanding. After all, it is medical school...But it's the genuine support of the faculty, staff and other students that makes it doable. The mentorship program is great."

While Jena admits that forming friendships with other busy, often stressed-out students doesn't come as naturally as she'd hoped, with a little effort, it can be done and can be very rewarding. She is now working together with a fellow Bastyr student to explore the possibility of developing a scholarship program for financially-strapped students.

Indeed, Jena feels a calling to help the underprivileged, stating that she would some day like to work with economically depressed populations. Her humanitarian concerns combined with her desire to further "explore the physical and energetic aspects of medicine" have led to her and her husband Brendan's dreams of working for a time in Asia.

When asked what she hopes her colleagues will some day say about her at her retirement party, Jena answers, "I hope they'll say that I was someone who helped develop energetic, hands-on medicine."

Home | Site Map | Search | Contact Us | Jobs | Privacy Policy | E-Newsletter | Printer Friendly Bastyr University. Copyright © 2008. All Rights Reserved.